Affordable Housing Archives - Page 2 of 2

Blog Archives

History of the Prefabricated House

The Prefabricated House

Modern-Shed Pool Side Cabana & Music Studio

Prefabricated houses have a long history in the US. An early version of a prefabricated house was sent from England in the 1600s, but real prefabrication did not take off until the arrival of “house kits.” House kits contained all of the house’s parts, so the owners built the homes themselves or hired people to construct them.

The Aladdin Company started selling the earliest Prefabricated houses from its catalog in 1906. One of the best-known early kit-home sellers was Sears, Roebuck and Co., which sold more than 100,000 homes from 1908 to 1940 .

Modern-Shed Prefab Dwelling Compound

Prefab Dwelling Shed Compound: Don’t live LIFE confined to four walls!

Located in the quaint town of Port Townsend on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula the Dwelling Shed Compound was designed by Modern-Shed founder Ryan Grey Smith.

The Prefab Dwelling Shed Compound was built as a recreational family getaway. It also serves as a showcase for Modern-Shed products, designs and concepts.

Connected with raised inter-connected decks the compound is designed around a central courtyard complete with fire pit and benches. A mix of gravels paths, bamboo, concrete stepping-stones, composite wood and cedar decking offer many different textures to the look and feel.

Types of Prefab Houses

Pre-Fab Houses

“Pre-Fab Houses” is an umbrella term that covers manufactured and modular homes.

Manufactured Homes (previously known as mobile homes) are built on nonremovable steel frames, known as chassis. The chassis are used for transporting the homes and for permanent support. Manufactured homes are built according to Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD Code) and can be placed on permanent foundations, at which point they can be considered real estate. They typically are considered a low-cost alternative to regular construction because of their assembly line construction.

Read more ›

Shed Living: Small Practical Prefab Living Space

Shed Living an Affordable Housing Trend

Shed Living and Small Houses are the new “In Thing”, and this practical little living space couldn’t be more in vogue.

The “Shed for Living,” designed by Manchester England based FKDA Architects, provides all the necessary amenities for living in a compact unit.

Designed for those in need of affordable and practical space.

Constructed of FSC certified timber-framed walls, double paned windows, cellulose fibre insulation from 100% recycled newspaper and interior finishes with low VOC content. Read more ›

Modern-Shed Dwelling Texas: The Inside Scoop

Modern-Shed Dwelling: Texas Style

The following interview is with Heidi Brunet the builder of the first Modern-Shed Dwelling. The Modern-Shed Dwelling, is a pre-fab, home-built by Modern-Shed. Modern-Shed recently launched its “Dwelling” line, which is an extension from its pre-fab “room” specialty. Heidi’s home is a full-sized family style home, and is being built in Dallas, Texas.

Q: How is the building process going thus far with your Modern-Shed Dwelling? There has been tremendous progress in the past couple of weeks – the foundation was poured, floors were installed, walls were built, and most recently the roof was added. Is the process as fast as you thought it would be? Have you come across any hiccups this early on in the process?

A: No. The entire shell of the house went up in 3 days with very basic tools. It was faster than I anticipated. Next week we will frame the internal walls in the house, assemble the carport, rough in electrical wiring throughout the house, install the fireplace and start putting up siding.

Modern-Dwelling: Building the “Big H” in Dallas Texas

2064 Sq/Ft Modern-Dwelling goes up in 3 days!

Modern-Dwelling: Everything’s bigger in Texas, including Modern-Shed.

Last fall, Modern-Shed embarked on the largest project the company has ever undertaken; Modern-Shed Dwelling, a nearly 2,100-square-foot H-shaped structure, with all the trappings of Modern-Shed’s sleek, simple design, but constructed on a much larger scale.

The new “shed” will be the first in a line of Modern-Dwellings that the company hopes to offer in the New Year, said Modern-Shed general manager Tim Vack.